Probably many Germans had not heard about our country (Macedonia) until recently when our national team played a match to remember at the European Handball Championship. The handball heroes have shown that everybody is entitled to equality and justice, while the success depends solely on own efforts. Unfortunately, in another sphere we do not enjoy the same rights as others: Macedonia has met all NATO membership criteria, being recognized by the Alliance at Bucharest Summit in 2008. Nevertheless, Macedonia is not allowed to be part of it. Macedonia is de facto NATO member, whereas de jure it isn't, Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski says in his column for the German paper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

NATO membership is the Government's strategic goal, Gruevski says. The (country)'s integration enjoys the support of over 85% of citizens. Macedonian peace forces in Iraq, Afghanistan have been sharing the threats to freedom with the allies, half of Macedonia's defense budget is allocated for (the country)'s contribution to Afghanistan. Our peacekeepers are meritorious for the security of Kandahar base, being decorated for their operations.

"Then why Macedonia is not a NATO member? We are a hostage of senseless and virtual dispute, never heard of across the globe. Our neighbour is hindering our membership although we have met all preconditions for membership. Only because Greece has a problem with the name of our country that harms nobody and for which we don't seek exclusivity. Greeks also have problem with our identity, the name of our nation and language. You may comprehend what absurd this is only if you imagine that somebody has a problem because you feel as and call yourselves Germans. Or try to imagine that Belgium doesn't allow Luxembourg to join NATO only because its province bears the name Luxembourg. If not insulting it would be ironic, maybe for the verses of Brecht or stories of Kafka, but this is the cruel reality," Gruevski says in his column.

Greece, he says, has prevented our NATO membership, being aware that it must not do that if we join in under the reference, granted by the UN. Greeks have accepted this reference under the Interim Accord, an international agreement we signed in 1995 under the UN auspices. In favor of reaching this accord, we have changed a flag, constitution, gave up the care for our minority - only to avoid Greece's opposition to our accession in international organizations.

The failure in Bucharest has not discouraged us, Gruevski says. We have resumed our efforts to become part of and contribute to NATO.  

"In compliance with (Otto von) Bismarck's quote 'Politics is the art of the possible, the attainable - the art of the next best', we have sought our chances before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the Hague, while remaining committed to the dialogue with Greece aimed at finding a name solution. The ICJ lawsuit ended with a verdict that Greece had violated its obligations stemming from the 1995 Interim Accord after hindering Macedonia to be admitted to NATO at a summit in Bucharest in 2008 under the reference defined by the United Nations. ICJ ruled that Macedonia hasn't breach the agreement in any way, that it has always negotiated with good will, thus putting an end to all Greek diplomatic attempts to accuse us of lacking constructiveness in name talks," the PM says.

The ICJ judgement, he adds, is binding for both parties and suggests that there are no legal arguments for Greece to keep on objecting Macedonia's accession to NATO. In accordance with international law, Greece should refrain from hindering Macedonia's NATO membership. By setting a condition 'settle the name issue, then join NATO', international law is being breached and the ICJ judgement is not respected. Hence, NATO members relying on international law should extend a membership invitation to Macedonia at the upcoming summit in Chicago, this time without additional conditions set by Greece, which would breach international law.

"I hope that Germany and NATO members will take into consideration the ICJ conclusion that Macedonia has never violated the principle of neighbourly ties. Hence, there is no reason for the membership invitation to be postponed. The ICJ decision is clear. Moreover, Greece doesn't need to be afraid from Macedonia. The country should be very interested in being in the same alliance as partners. We want cordial relations with Greece and the future of the region to be built with joined forces. We also want talks focused on solving the dispute launched by Greece to be intensified," reads the column.

It is important to know that Macedonia's NATO membership will not be a burden to German taxpayers. Macedonia is implementing successful economic policies, for which we have been praised by the World Bank, ranking Macedonia 22nd - above 19 EU countries - on its Doing Business report. According to the World Bank, Macedonia is one of the most improved economies in the world for five consecutive years. IMF has said that Macedonia is a low-indebted country with an external debt of 26% from GDP, being the second lowest one in Europe. The national currency is firmly stable, the banking system is liquid and foreign exchange reserves are at the highest level in history.

"We all live under the same sky, but we don't all have the same horizon," (Konrad) Adenauer used to say. Hopefully, the German and Macedonian horizon is going to be the same in NATO," Gruevski concludes in his column for "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung"